Battle Royal
by Yamatsu90
Summary: Cloud Strife continues to live his life after stopping a foolish attempt to revive Jenova. As he gazes upon the sky, he notices a strange being flying in the sky and follows it. Little does he know, that he has just begun q journey unlike any he has had.
1. Chapter 1: A new plot

I do not own Kingdom Hearts 1 or 2, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, Final Fantasy VII, or any of the characters from them. This is my first fanfic ever.

Cloud, blue eyes cast towards the darkening sky, sits outside the slums with a feeling of apprehension. His mind, formerly filled with thoughts of the day's events, races with thoughts of Aerith. He can't help but continue to blame himself for her death. Using his peripheral vision, he sees a dark shadow flying overhead. Initially, he thinks it's a bird, but a second glance gives him more clarity; it is a person. Cloud stands and follows the flying figure. His hand grasps the rough leather of his sword's hilt until he reaches a small lake. He watches from a distance as the person lands.

"So you followed me? You did just as I would have hoped, Cloud." The man is wearing a black cloak with a hood.

"Who are you?" With a sharp piercing screech, his blade appears. Cloud narrows his eyes at the person in contemplation.

"Come now. How could you forget about me?" The man throws off his cloak to reveal his true identity.

"Sephiroth!" Cloud rushes at his old enemy and swings straight for his head.

Sephiroth dodges and jumps to the other side of the lake. "I told you that I would never be just a memory." Sephiroth turns away from Cloud. "I'll be waiting for you. Go and fetch your old blade then come find me." Sephiroth flies off.

Cloud tightens his grip on his blade and slams it into the ground. He turns and starts to walk towards the Slums. His mind races with conflicting thoughts: Sephiroth should be gone; he cannot live without a host. Someone was going to answer for this, after Cloud took down Sephiroth again.

He quickly makes his way back to town and grabs a bike. He drives to the location of the Buster Sword. He can't believe that he is going to be forced to once again defeat Sephiroth. He walks up to the Buster Sword and grabs its hilt. Cloud takes a deep breath and pulls the sword out of the ground.

Cloud sheathes the Buster Sword and gets back on the bike. He speeds off towards the Slums as he tries to think of where Sephiroth has gone. He could be hiding at one of the places where Cloud confronted him and Jenova before. The question would be which location is it? Cloud brakes hard and spins the bike around. He turns back towards the Slums. Cloud glares at the road in front of him with a look of determination. He won't let Sephiroth escape alive again.

Cloud speeds through the Slums and towards the Church. He stops just before the doors and walks in. As he walks, he sees Tifa staring Sephiroth down. She looks ready to fight to the death. Just as Cloud takes a step, Tifa rushes at Sephiroth. She attacks him with a flood of punches, but he dodges all of her attacks with ease and grace. Sephiroth continues to dodge her without attempting to counter her attacks.

"I have no quarrel with you." Sephiroth shoves Tifa away with the hilt of his blade.

"You destroyed my home!" Tifa dashes at Sephiroth again. Her attacks continue to be futile as Sephiroth continues to evade her effortlessly. "I wouldn't let you live!"

"Tifa, don't do it!" Cloud unsheathes the Buster Sword and rushes towards Sephiroth. Sephiroth takes notice of Cloud's presence and knocks Tifa into a wall with one swing of his sword.

"Finally, our battle begins." Sephiroth blocks Cloud's strike and sends him flying away.

"You won't be rid of me that quickly!" Cloud lands feet first on a wall and bounces off towards Sephiroth. He slashes at his long haired foe. Sephiroth blocks the strike but is forced back by the strength of Cloud's slash. Sephiroth raises his sword above his head. The entire blade glows an eerie green color. Cloud holds the Buster Sword out in front of him with both hands. He glares at Sephiroth and tightens his grip on the sword. The Buster Sword starts to glow yellow, and Cloud dashes at Sephiroth, who, in turn, charges at him. The two blades collide, releasing a huge explosion of energy that rips the roof off of the church and continues throughout the entire Slums.

Sephiroth leaps away from Cloud and looks up at the sky. Cloud looks at him confused then shifts his gaze to the sky. He drops the Buster Sword to the ground and his eyes get wide. "Well Cloud, what do you think of what you helped me to create?" Sephiroth taunts.

"What. . . .What is this?" Cloud's eyes widen as he looks on in horror.

"During my time in the Lifestream, I found that this place is just one of many realms that exist on this planet. This world is a lie." Sephiroth starts to levitate.

"Wait!" Cloud turns his attention back to Sephiroth as he grabs his sword.

"This world is just a small piece of a much larger prize that I will claim for mother. Goodbye, Cloud. I hope you enjoy the time you have left." Sephiroth flies off towards the Northern Continent.

"I have to stop him. . . ." Cloud sheaths his sword and looks around. Everything is gone-destroyed. There is no sign of life anywhere. Cloud hangs his head and gets on his bike. He takes off after Sephiroth with a burning desire to end things once and for all at any cost.

Cloud travels for two days straight without sleep, and he finally reaches the North Continent. As he reaches the most northern edge of the continent, he sees exactly what he is looking for. There is a large circular discolored area right where the ocean touches the land. Cloud unsheathes his sword and pushes it through the discolored area. He pulls it back, and after making sure it is ok, he slowly steps through the discolored area.


	2. Chapter 2: Welcome to Daein

I do not own Kingdom Hearts 1 or 2, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, Final Fantasy VII, or any of the characters from them.

Cloud emerges from the discolored area into a room in a castle. His blue eyes looked around the room, struggling to adjust to the dim lighting. The castle walls are made of black bricks, Cloud has never seen anything like this before. Cloud looks around and sees a man in black armor with a broad sword in the center of the room. Cloud places his hand firmly on the hilt of the Buster Sword. Cloud takes a step toward the armored soldier and glares at him. The man turns towards Cloud and lifts up his sword.

"Who are you and why have you entered this place?" The armored soldier speaks as he begins to walk towards Cloud. The black armor shines in the light and the glare blinds Cloud for a moment. The Black Knight's heavy black armor clanks with every step he takes. His scarlet red cape sways with each step he takes.

"I am Cloud Strife. I have come here in search of a man known as Sephiroth. Don't get in my way." Cloud holds the Buster Sword out in front of him ready to attack. The Black Knight stops walking and sheaths his sword. Cloud eyes the sword, noticing that there is something strange about it.

"I have no quarrel with you; therefore I will allow you to leave." The armored man turns away from Cloud. Cloud sees Sephiroth drop down from the ceiling, his pure white hair floats down as he falls. It drops down over his shoulders as he lands. Sephiroth looks at Cloud and smirks but doesn't say anything to acknowledge Cloud's presence. The black armored soldier takes notice. "You have returned?"

"Yes, and I have come with an offer to you. I seek assistance in my quest to change the world." Sephiroth takes a step towards the man. He shifts his body to the side. "You could help me end all of this fighting and war."

The man remains silent for a while then he raises his sword, "I am called The Black Knight." Cloud glares at the sword and tightens his grip on the Buster Sword. His hair slightly sways as a gentle breeze blows into the room, as if a door opened.

Sephiroth raises his sword and touches it to The Black Knight's sword. "My name is Sephiroth." Sephiroth looks down at the swords. "That sword of yours is different from most that I've seen." The Black Knight takes notice of Sephiroth's comment then turns towards Cloud.

"Sephiroth, this is the end for you!" Cloud dashes at Sephiroth ready to cleave his head clean off. The Black Knight steps in Cloud's path and swings his sword down. A wave of energy comes from the sword and hits Cloud. Cloud flips in the air and lands on his feet.

"This blade is called Alondite. It is blessed by goddess as well as my armor." The Black Knight speaks as he lets Alondite touch the ground. The sword glows for a few seconds, dimly.

"If you defend Sephiroth, then you are my enemy as well!" Cloud charges at The Black Knight and leaps into the air. He swings straight down hits the Black Knight's right shoulder. The Buster Sword bounces right off. Cloud swings again and hits the Black Knight's side. Once again, the Black Knight takes no damage. The Black Knight raises his sword and swings down at Cloud, hitting him right on his collar bone. Cloud hits the ground with a loud thud, causing his head bounces off the hard dirt.

"Foolish boy, my armor cannot me damaged by normal weapons." The Black Knight raises his sword up above his head and prepares to swing down and slice Clouds head off. He swings straight down as Cloud looks up. Suddenly and orange sword blocks Alondite. Wielding the sword is a young man with blue hair wearing a green head band. He is wearing a blue shirt, white pants and a red cape. His eyes are piercing and filled with hatred and a longing for revenge. The young man forces Alondite back then swings at the Black Knight, hitting him and sending him flying into a wall.

"Black Knight, you will pay for what you have done." The young man stands up straight and raises his sword. "I will not stop until I have brought you to justice."

"So, Greil's son finally comes after me wielding Ragnell." The Black Knight gets himself to a vertical basis. "I must say that I am impressed by your strength. However you have come at a most horrible time." The Black Knight turns away from the young man and starts walking towards Sephiroth.

"You'll get no sympathy from me!" The young warrior dashes towards the Black Knight and swings straight for his head. The Black Knight blocks with Alondite. Ragnell and Alondite glow as they clash against each other. They exchange more blows and the swords continue to glow. Finally, the young man forces the Black Knight back and throws his sword up into the air, hitting the Black Knight in the process. Then he jumps up into the air and grabs the handle and slams the sword down into the Black Knight's shoulder. The Black Knight kicks him in the stomach, sending the young man back to his original position. The Black Knight grabs his shoulder and turns away. "I will not be defeated by you."

"What is your name boy?" The Black Knight says as he walks to Sephiroth's side. He releases his shoulder and raises his sword. The Black Knight turns to the young warrior and readies himself in case of another assault. Sephiroth stares at the young man with much curiosity. Sephiroth notices that Ragnell is similar to Alondite. His curiosity leads him to turn and draw his own sword.

"I am Ike, commander of the Greil Mercenaries. I will not allow you to leave." The young man rushes at the Black Knight again. This time Sephiroth steps in the way and blocks Ike. Sephiroth uses his swords remarkable reach to send Ike flying backwards. Cloud stands up and runs at Sephiroth. Cloud swings at his enemy but is blocked by the Black Knight. Ike quickly gets back to his feet and goes after the Black Knight. Sephiroth reaches over the blades in front of him and blocks Ike's attempt to kill the Black Knight. Sephiroth repels Ike and the Black Knight repels Cloud.

"Sorry Cloud, but we have more important things to do." Sephiroth taunts as he and the Black Knight vanish into thin air. His laugh echoes through the room. Cloud slams his fist on the ground and looks towards Ike.

Ike runs his hand through his blue hair and glances towards Cloud. Cloud stands up and turns towards the blue haired warrior. Cloud stares at the sword Ike has. Ragnell is dimly glowing, just like Alondite. Cloud cautiously moves towards Ike as all the doors leading to the room burst open. Hundreds of soldiers in red armor rush into the run and surround Ike and Cloud. Ike and Cloud slowly back away from the surrounding enemies until they are back to back. Both warriors raise their weapons and prepare to do battle.

"I will side with you for this battle but I demand answers for what is going on." Ike raises Ragnell to his face. Ragnell glows with radiance as the light from the surrounding torches shine on it.

"Whatever, I don't care as long as I defeat Sephiroth." Cloud quickly says the soldiers charge at him and Ike. Cloud and Ike automatically take action and take down the enemies quickly but for each enemy they defeat more enter. Ike swings his sword down and releases a wave of energy that forces back all of the soldiers on his side. Cloud swings at a heavily armored soldier and notices a piece of materia drop out of his pocket. He picks it up and quickly examines it. He uses the materia to summon Ifrit. The horned creature flies up into the air and surrounds himself in an aura of fire. He dives down at the enemies in front of Cloud and blows them away. Ifrit disappears soon after.

"No matter how many we take out more come to take their place." Cloud says as he and Ike end up back to back again. "Where are they all coming from?"

Ike raised his sword and gets ready to defend himself. "This is Daein Keep, the base for the Daein army." Ike exhales and slightly turns his head towards Cloud. Both fighters' eyes meet and both warriors smirk. "At least if I'm going die here, I'm going to take some of these soldiers with me." Ike turns towards his enemies and readies his sword to swing. Cloud raises the Buster Sword and gets ready to fight off the onslaught of soldiers. The soldiers charge at the two young fighters ready to run them through. The end looks certain.


	3. Chapter 3: The Greil Mercenaries

I do not own Kingdom Hearts 1 or 2, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, Final Fantasy VII, or any of the characters from them.

Out of nowhere, a bolt of lightning strikes down in the center of the Daein solders. Soon after another bolt of lightning strikes, a man and a woman both wielding swords follow and start slicing up Daein soldiers one by one. The man has shoulder length white hair and is wearing a pair of loose purple pants and a purple gi top. His blade is slightly curved and has a purple tint to it. The female has long blue hair and is wearing red pants and an orange and red gi top. The two sword wielders continue to try to fight their way towards Cloud and Ike.

Just as more soldiers appear from the opposite side of the room, two horse riding warriors enter with two archers and an ax wielder. The archers pick off Daein soldiers with almost super human accuracy. The pair is both male, one a grown man and the other a young boy. The boy is wearing a pair of blue shorts and a green shirt with a light blue vest over top. His short hair goes slightly over his forehead. The man has long red hair tied back in a ponytail. The ax wielder is wearing a pair of dark colored pants and a tight red shirt. His short somewhat spiked brown hair blows back as he races towards the Daein soldiers, swinging his powerful ax. The two warriors on horseback leap right to Ike and Cloud. They begin taking out the enemies, the male with his lance and the woman with her axes. The man is wearing full green armor and the woman a silver armor. Along with their attacks, blades made of wind appear and start dispatching large groups of Daein soldiers.

Cloud and Ike look towards each other and nod. The two young warriors join in the battle and it is quickly ended. The remaining Daein soldiers make a hasty retreat. After all the excitement has ended, the group of warriors moves toward Ike and Cloud. The band of fighters cross examines Cloud for a while until Ike raises a hand for them to stop.

"He is not a member of the Daein army." Ike sheathes Ragnell and turns towards Cloud. "I would go so far as to say that he doesn't even know of the war against Daein." The groups gasp at Ike's words.

"Then I would very much like to know where he came from and how he got into the castle without being noticed by the Daein soldiers or us." A young man with shoulder length black hair walks up through the group and between Ike and Cloud. He is wearing a long black robe and carrying a book of magic spells. He has a red mark on his forehead that seems to be an identification of some kind.

"These are my men, the Greil Mercenaries." Ike turns towards the young man who approached him. "This is our strategist and sage Soren." Ike turns towards the two archers and the ax wielder. "The man with the ax is Boyd and the archers are known Rolf, the younger one, and Shinon." Then Ike points towards the two warriors on horseback and the sword wielders. "And finally, the two horse riding paladins are Oscar and Titania, and the sword masters are Zihark and Mia." Ike turns back towards Cloud. "I'm pretty sure that you know my name."

Cloud nods, "Yes, your name is Ike right?" Ike nods. "My name is Cloud Strife." Cloud turns towards the Greil Mercenaries. "And I am not of this realm."

Cloud starts to retell his battle with Sephiroth that lead to the creation of the discolored area which allowed him to enter the castle without detection. Everyone seems mystified except for one person, Soren. Soren appears to have known that it was possible all along. Cloud quickly begins explaining what Sephiroth is most likely up to.

"Sephiroth is obsessed with wiping out the world so that the being he was created from, his mother, Jenova, can rule the world as she sees fit. I fear that he is planning on wiping out everything in your realm and mine so that Jenova can rule them." Cloud finishes up.

"Can he be stopped?" Titania asks as she tries to calm her horse that has gotten a bit antsy.

"Yes, he can. The problem would be the Black Knight. I'm able to hurt Sephiroth but I can't affect him."

"Leave the Black Knight to me." Ike steps up and pulls out Ragnell. "My sword is called Ragnell and it is also blessed by the goddess just like the Black Knight's armor and sword." Ike looks towards Cloud. "All you have to do is keep Sephiroth out of my way." Cloud nods as Soren takes a step forward. We still have a problem. I'm sure that the Black Knight must have something planned, plus we still have the Daein soldiers to worry about and what if some sided with the Black Knight?" Soren pointed out.

"We can't sit back and let them all do as they wish." Titania comments on Soren's concerns as her horse finally calms down.

"We have to try to stop them, no matter what." Boyd swings his ax into the ground.

"Well, we have to do something. There could be more soldiers on their way here." Oscar climbs on his horse.

"Oscar does raise a good point. But the final decision is up to you, Ike." Soren shifts towards Ike. "What will it be, commander?"

Everyone turns and looks at Ike, who is looking around the room at all of his men. "We will start by going after the Black Knight. If we run into the king's forces then so be it. We will just have to take them down on our way."

Cloud turns towards a door on the opposite side of the room. He starts to walk over to the door as Ike and the Greil Mercenaries start to talk about their battle strategy. Cloud reaches the door and pushes it open. He walks through it and into the room to see a dragon standing in the center. The dragon turns to Cloud and smoke comes out of its nose. Cloud draws the Buster Sword and holds it up, ready to fight.

"I will not allow you to get close to the one I love." The dragon flies up into the air and breathes fire at Cloud. He rolls out of the way and pulls out another piece of materia.

"Let's see how you deal with Bahamaut!" Cloud uses the materia to summon Bahamut. The dark blue dragon appears and flies straight for the other dragon. The two fly around in circles trying to size each other up. Bahamut makes the first move and fires a beam straight from his mouth. The dragon dodges and charges at Bahamut. Bahamut grabs the dragon and hurls it through the wall. Bahamut lands near Cloud and lets out a loud roar. The dragon flies back in and tackles Bahamut into the opposite wall. The two creatures are trapped by falling rubble from the ceiling as Ike and his group rush in. Cloud's materia glows, letting him know that Bahamut is no longer out. He quickly readies his sword to defend against the dragon.

"What's going on Cloud?" Ike asks as he raises Ragnell.

The dragon erupts from the pile of rubble and roars. It takes a step towards Cloud before falling to the ground. After lying there for a few minutes, the dragon glows a bright white color and once the glowing stops, the dragon is gone and a woman with pink hair is in its place.

"What? Where did the dragon go?" Cloud lowers his blade and looks at the woman confused.

"This woman may appear human but she is what we call a Laguz." Soren walked over the woman. "The Laguz have the ability transform into animals. There are different kinds of Laguz. This particular Laguz has the ability to become a dragon. She is one of the dragon tribe." Soren examines the woman closer.

"Cloud. . . ." Sephiroth's voice echoes. "Come to me. . .my tool." He laughs as Cloud grips tighter on the Buster Sword and runs in the direction of the voice.

"Cloud stop, it's a trap!" Ike yells as he takes off after Cloud with Mia, Zihark, and Boyd behind him. Soren stays behind with the rest of the Greil Mercenaries to check on the wounded dragon tribe Laguz and find out her reasons for fighting, even though the dragon tribe is neutral no matter what the circumstances.

Cloud cuts down a door and charges in. The room is empty. There are barely any torches. The only torches in the room are spread to the corners of the room. As Ike and his small squad enter, the Black Knight teleports into the room with a plethora of soldiers. These soldiers are wearing black armor that looks similar to the Black Knight's. Even more soldiers teleport in behind the group and force them to move towards the center. Completely surrounded, the group prepares themselves for battle against their new foes.

"For the glory of Jenova!" One of the soldiers yells as he and the others charge at the small band of warriors. Ike is the first to strike one of the soldiers. He cuts straight through the soldier's armor. All other members of the Greil Mercenaries stick to defending themselves, believing that the soldiers possess blessed armor, like the Black Knight's. Cloud doesn't bother to defend. He waste no time running through four soldiers at once and tossing them to the side like ragdolls. At the sight of this, the Greil Mercenaries start fighting back and eliminating the opposing soldiers. After cutting down all of the soldiers, Ike turns his attention to the Black Knight.

"Your men are defeated. Battle me and let us end it all here and now!" Ike raises Ragnell. The Black Knight turns and walks away. He teleports out of the room and leaves the band of fighters alone with a pile of corpses. Cloud sheathes the Buster Sword and starts walking towards the door opposite him. Ike quickly reaches the door first and blocks it.

"Stand aside, this is my fight not yours." Cloud motions for Ike to get out of the way.

"You may be chasing your own enemy but this is my realm and the Black Knight is my foe. If they have teamed up then this is my fight and there is nothing you can do to stop me from getting involved." Ike stands up straight and looks Cloud in the eye.

"Fine but Sephiroth is mine, got that?" Cloud turns away from Ike and walks back to the center of the room.

"That may be," Ike follows him. "But we will reach him and the Black Knight as a team. They get back to the group and start to talk about how they can reach the Black Knight and Sephiroth while dealing with their original enemy.


	4. Chapter 4: Final battle in Daein Keep

**I do not own Kingdom Hearts 1 or 2, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, Final Fantasy VII, or any of the characters from them**.

"Ugh, this is taking long." Ike groans as he takes a seat on the floor.

"You were the one who suggested that we think up a plan." Cloud reminds Ike.

"Well, I didn't think it would take so long." Ike says as he turns towards the door on the opposite side of the room. He starts to walk towards it. "Maybe we should just go in and see what's waiting for us."

"Sounds good to me." Cloud turns towards Ike.

"Wasn't that basically what we were going to do anyway?" Mia whispers to Zihark.

"More or less, but it wouldn't make sense to bring it up now." Zihark starts moving towards Ike. The group of fighters moves towards the door and Ike opens the door. On the other side of the door are the Black Knight and Sephiroth. The two villains are standing in the center of the room talking about something. Both men turn towards the group and start walking over to them.

"Well, it looks like we will have to end this sooner than we imagined." The Black Knight pulls out Alondite as a group of his soldiers teleport in behind him.

"Not to say that we weren't looking forward to ending your lives." Sephiroth smirks. "We just thought that we would have more time to secure or goal." Sephiroth pulls out his long blade. "But once you are dead, there well be no one to stand in the way of us controlling this realm."

"I won't let you do that!" Ike draws Ragnell. "Your battle ends here, Black Knight!" He swings Ragnell releasing a powerful wave of energy. The Black Knight counters by swinging Alondite releasing his own wave of energy. The two waves clash and cause a large gust of wind that blows back everyone except Cloud, Ike, the Black Knight, and Sephiroth.

"Let's cut out the subordinates for now. . ." The Black Knight starts as Ike charges at him. Ike swings Ragnell straight of the Black Knight's head but the Black Knight raises Alondite and blocks his attempt. Ike continues to try to strike the Black Knight but his attempts are completely in vain. It's almost as if the Black Knight can predict his every move. Ike tries to use the move that damaged to the Black Knight but as he throws Ragnell in the air, the Black Knight hits him in the gut with the hilt of Alondite. Ike stumbles back and is then kneed in the gut by the Black Knight and shoved to the ground. The Black Knight grabs the falling Ragnell and throws it to Sephiroth.

Cloud charges at Sephiroth and stops him from catching the sword. Cloud locks blades with Sephiroth and suddenly it's just like old times. Sparks fly off the two swords as they grind against each other. The smile on Sephiroth's face is sickening. Cloud tightens his grip on the Buster Sword and forces Sephiroth back. Sephiroth lets out a low laugh and prepares to engage Cloud again. Once again Cloud makes the first move and goes to stab Sephiroth in the heart. Sephiroth leaps into the air and lands on top of Cloud's sword. He kicks Cloud in the face and back flips off the sword as Cloud falls to the ground. Cloud quickly recovers and pulls out a red colored materia. He holds it at Sephiroth and from it an eruption of fire emerges. The flames engulf Sephiroth; there is no way to escape. The flames take a few minutes to die down. But once they do, Sephiroth is gone. Cloud looks around frantically. He was sure that there was no way to escape the flames. Cloud goes to the spot where Sephiroth was and finds that Ragnell is gone too. Cloud turns to find that the Black Knight has vanished as well.

"What do they want Ike's sword for?" Cloud wonders as he walks over to Ike's side. Cloud starts to help Ike up when realizes what Sephiroth is after. Cloud leaves Ike just as all the Greil Mercenaries arrive and starts running deeper into the castle. "I won't let you open another hole to a different realm Sephiroth. You won't escape me again."

Cloud burst through the doors of the Castle, one by one, eliminating anyone who would dare to stand in his way. His focus had never been stronger. He was going to defeat Sephiroth no matter what. When he finally reached the room that Sephiroth had taken refuge in, he was shocked to find both Alondite and Ragnell levitating in the air giving off huge waves of energy. The swords were pulsing and were truly a beautiful sight to behold.

"Cloud, I am so happy you came to assist me." Sephiroth drops down from the ceiling with a slight smirk on his face. "You are the final thing I need to open a portal into the next realm."

Cloud raises the Buster Sword at Sephiroth and gets ready to fight. "I won't be used by you again Sephiroth. This is where you fall!" Cloud rushes at Sephiroth nut is stopped by another dragon. This one is different than the one he saw earlier. This one is bigger and looks different, almost as if it is insane. It roars at Cloud, almost forcing him back. Cloud slams the Buster Sword into the ground and holds on until the dragon has finished. Cloud lifts the Buster Sword out of the ground and rushes towards the dragon. He leaps into the air and lands on the dragon's head. He quickly slashes the dragon's right eye, causing the beast to roar in pain. It flies up and burst through the ceiling, going high into the sky. Cloud starts to fall off but grabs onto the dragon's tail at the last second.

The dragon flies around the sky at top speed, making it hard for Cloud to hold on. After a while he flies off and starts falling towards the ground. The dragon turns around and charges towards Cloud. Cloud raises his sword and gets ready to swing as the dragon approaches. The dragon gets into attack range and opens its mouth to swallow Cloud. It closes its mouth with Cloud inside. Cloud quickly starts slashing at the inside of the dragon's mouth. The dragon roars in pain. Cloud hears a rumbling coming from the dragon's throat. He starts heading for the mouth and leaps out just as the dragon releases a huge burst of flames out of its mouth. Cloud turns his head downwards and heads for Sephiroth but is hit from behind by the dragon's tail. He spins around in the air for a while then stabilizes himself just in time to dodge the dragon's charge at him.

The dragon turns around and charges at Cloud again. Cloud pulls out a yellow materia and shots lightning at the dragon. The dragon spins out of the way and breathes fire at Cloud. Cloud fires lightning into the fire, creating an explosion that hurls the dragon higher into the sky and sends Cloud hurling faster towards Sephiroth. Cloud is just about to swing down and hit Sephiroth when the dragon grabs him by his waist and flies high into the sky. The dragon reaches its limit and lets Cloud go. Cloud starts to fall at high speeds towards the Earth. He tries to slow himself down by taking off his jacket but his attempt fails. He continues to plummet down towards the ground. He quickly pulls out his summoning materia and calls out Bahamut again. Bahamut catches Cloud on its back and flies back down towards the castle. Cloud leaps off once they are close to the ground. Bahamut flies up into the air to do battle with the dragon.

Cloud turns towards Sephiroth and raises the Buster Sword, "Now it's time that you die!" Cloud rushes at Sephiroth and swings his sword. Sephiroth blocks with grace and quickly retaliates by slashing Cloud's left hand. Cloud continues to attack but is stop by Sephiroth at every turn. Sephiroth slashes Cloud's chest then send him flying across the room with a swift kick to the chest. Cloud whips out three materia and lets loose with their magic. Sephiroth is bombarded with fire, ice, and lightning. Cloud rushes at Sephiroth ready to chop off his head. Sephiroth emerges from the dust of the blast and barely manages to dodge Cloud's attack; he is grazed on his left shoulder. Sephiroth swings at Cloud. Cloud blocks the attack and counters by elbowing Sephiroth in the chest. He kicks his white haired enemy into the air and leaps up after him. Cloud slashes Sephiroth's chest multiple times. Sephiroth pops up and starts blocking Cloud's attacks. Their sword grinded together and sparks flew.

Cloud was so focused on Sephiroth that he didn't see the Black Knight walk into the room and grab both Ragnell and Alondite. He took the swords to the center of the room and placed them on the floor together. He then took a few steps back and mumbled some words. The swords began to glow brightly and a circular area of purple light appeared in front of them. The Black Knight walked towards it and looked into it.

"Sephiroth, it is finished. Finish your battle with him quickly." The Black knight calls to his ally as he turns around to see Ike and the Greil Mercenaries coming through the doors.

"Give Ragnell back to me!" Ike raises a sword similar to Zihark's at the Black Knight.

"The decision is yours," Sephiroth continues to clash with Cloud. "We no longer require the sword."

The Black Knight looks down at Ragnell and picks it up. He throws it at Ike's feet then he picks up Alondite and raises it in the air. As he does, more of his soldiers appear behind him. Ike and the Greil Mercenaries prepare to do battle as do the soldiers. The two groups charge at each other and the battle begins.

Cloud and Sephiroth continue their battle in the air with neither fighter giving an inch. "Come now, Cloud. How do you intend to stop me now? The portal is already open. Why not just give it up?"

Cloud swings hard at Sephiroth's head. Sephiroth blocks but is knocked back. "I won't let you get through it without a fight!"

Both men land on the ground and charge at each other, once again clashing their swords and sending sparks flying everywhere. As they continue to fight in the sky as Ike reaches the Black Knight. He swings Ragnell at the Black Knight's head and is blocked. The Black Knight swings his blade and Ike dodges.

"I apologize for my dirty tactics earlier. If I had not needed Ragnell I would not have resorted to such tactics." The Black Knight swings at Ike again. Ike blocks and goes for the Black Knights heart. The Black Knight swings at Ike's sword arm and hits it, making Ike stop his attack and switch hands. Ike starts swinging at the Black Knight again and quickly.

Suddenly everyone's attention turns to a strange group of white creatures that came through the portal. There are different kinds of the creatures but it is obvious that they are up to no good. They start to attack everyone in sight, including Ike and the Black Knight.

"Sephiroth! What is this?" Cloud charges as Sephiroth and swings as him.

Sephiroth blocks Cloud without turning his attention from the creatures. "Isn't it obvious Cloud?" Sephiroth turns and smirks at Cloud. "They are from the other realm." Sephiroth forces Cloud back and heads towards the portal. "I think it is time we take our leave of this place." Sephiroth says as he passes the Black Knight. His ally swings Alondite, creating a path as the wave of energy wipes out a row of enemies. The two villains start walking towards the portal as Ike tries to fight back the creatures that have gathered around him. Cloud jumps into the air and slams his sword into the ground, causing an aftershock that takes out some of the surrounding creatures. The two fighters stood back to back preparing to do battle with the onslaught of continuously emerging creatures.

Suddenly, several lightning bolts come crashing down from the sky followed by a hail of arrows. Ike turns and sees Soren standing beside Shinon and Rolf. "Ike, you have to go through the portal and stop them. They can't be allowed to succeed." Soren cast another magic spell that sends a wave of fire into a row of the creatures. "We will do our best to hold them off until you return, just don't drag you feet."

"Soren. . ." Ike says softly. He raises Ragnell to his face and turns towards the portal. "I'll return as soon as I can. BE strong everyone." Ike turns to Cloud. "Let's go." Cloud nods and the two young warriors head towards the portal, slashing any creatures that stand in their way. When they reach the portal, they take one more look at the realm that they are about to leave. They look at the chaos that has ensued because of the connections between the three realms. "We can't let this happen anywhere else." Ike says as Cloud turns away and walks throw the portal. Ike slowly turns away from his friends and walks into the portal.

Cloud and Ike emerge in a dark city. They start to walk around and as they do, small shadow-like creatures rise from the ground and start following them. The two warriors stop walking once they realize that they have been surrounded. They ready themselves to fight but suddenly all the creatures vanish and a boy shows up in front of Cloud.

"It's been a while Cloud." The boy smiled. "So did you defeat Sephiroth?"

"Not yet," Cloud smirks at the boy. The boy's spiky brown hair blows slightly in the wind. His white and black vest and pants sway with the wind. On both sides of his body are sword-like weapons that resemble keys. One actually looks like a key with a yellow handle and the other is all black and sleeker looking. "And I see you are still dealing with the Heartless, Sora."


	5. Chapter 5: Divide they stand

**I do not own Kingdom Hearts 1 or 2, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, Final Fantasy VII, or any of the characters from them. However I do own the character that appears at the end.**

"Well it isn't really that simple. There are more things than just the heartless running around here." Sora explains himself to Cloud.

"I don't mean to intrude but how do you know each other? My name is Ike by the way." Ike interrupts.

"It's a long story and I'm not entirely sure how to explain everything now, especially seeing how things are." Sora looks at cloud confused. Cloud gives Sora a brief run down. "That's what's going on."

"Wow, things just got a lot more complicated." Sora places a hand on his chin. "Oh no, that means that means that there is even more a risk here than I thought." Sora gives Cloud and Ike a brief rundown of his situation. "If Xemnas and Sephiroth team up then we will be dealing with a huge threat not just to our realms but any others that exist out there."

"Then we don't have time to. . . ." Ike stops and all three heroes turn back to back. "Well at least we know one thing." Ike says as a group of heartless rise from the ground. These Heartless are a little bigger than the ones from before.

"Oh? What's that?" Cloud questions as he raises his sword.

"It'll be a fun trip to the end!" Ike answers as he charges at the Heartless with Ragnell. He chops them to bits, one by one but more appear in their place. Cloud and Sora follow suit but soon the warriors are up to their necks in heartless.

"This can't be, how could they be this strong?" Sora says as he drops to a knee. The two Keyblades that were floating at his sides fall to the ground. Cloud lowers the Buster Sword so that it touches the ground. Ike drops to the ground and starts breathing heavy with Ragnell still clutched in his hands. The Heartless start to close in, creeping closer with every second.

Out of nowhere, a large white hammer-like ax drops down and crushes some of the Heartless. A large white creature appears and grabs the ax then starts to take out the rest of the Heartless. Sora slowly rises to his feet and motions for Cloud and Ike to hurry with him. They run down block after block until they finally reach a cliff. From the cliff they see a giant hovering, white castle. Sora turns to Cloud and Ike and nods.

"That is where Xemnas is and most likely Sephiorth along with the Black Knight." He turns back towards the castle.

"So what was that white thing?" Cloud starts walking towards the cliff.

"Nobodies, they are entirely different creatures then Heartless and can be a lot more dangerous." Sora examines the area of nothingness in front of him. "We will probably be seeing a lot more of them in the castle."

"Well then, I say we get started by finding a way over there." Ike says as Sora touches the area of space just off the cliff. When he does, a bridge of light appears that leads to the castle. The three heroes look at each other then start running across. They head straight across the bridge and into a huge entrance. They start to slowly walk into the center of the area and look around. There isn't anything in the room.

"I don't like the look of this," Sora starts to glide over the floor. He starts to glide higher into the air to search for any possible enemies. "It's too quiet in here."

"I know what you mean but I think I prefer quiet right now." Ike says as he moves around.

"Oh, please don't get too comfortable." A voice rings throughout the room. "I don't exactly know who your friends are, Sora, but you aren't the only one with new allies." The voice starts to laugh.

" Xemnas! Where are you?!" Sora calls out and flies around the room.

"I'm deeper in the castle. You may come to me if you wish, but I would like for you to be alone so. . ." two trap doors open beneath Cloud and Ike. They fall in screaming as they do. The doors close and Sora flies to their location and strikes the ground to try to open the doors. "Now Sora, come to me. That is, if you ever wish to see your precious Kairi again." Sora turns towards the entrance to the next room and glares.

Cloud continues to fall down the hole. It seems to go on for miles. He takes the Buster Sword and slams it into the ground. He kicks the wall, causing it to breaks. He enters through the hole he just made. He climbs out of the hole and lands on a platform with two entrances that is over a huge pit. The platform is gray with a purplish tint and the room itself is white with black designs. Cloud walks to the center of the platform and readies his sword.

A man with two strange looking guns drops from the ceiling. The barrels of the guns look like blades. The man is wearing a black cloak and has a black eye patch. His hair is black with some gray on top. He looks at Cloud and smiles. "Well, well, well it looks like Xemnas has sent me a little toy to play with. Too bad he wants to keep the Keyblade wielder to himself. The man points his guns at Cloud. "Whatever, I may as well tell you the name of your killer so that you can take it to the grave with you." The man fires several shots at Cloud, all of which he dodges by running out of the way. "That's right, give me a show. Dance for the gunslinger, Xigbar!"

Meanwhile, Ike had finally stopped falling and was now wondering around the area he was in. He carried Ragnell in his hand, ready to swing at any enemies that popped up. He stopped walking when he saw a man sitting at a table with a deck of playing cards. From the looks of it the man was playing Solitaire. His blonde hair was companied by a blonde goatee. As he turned to Ike and stood up, his black robe swayed to the side.

"Well I guess you must be one of the Keyblade wielder's friends." The man picks up the cards from the table. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Luxord." He shuffles the cards quickly then holds them at his side.

"So are you going to try to stop me?" Ike points Ragnell at Luxord.

"Well that is what I'm supposed to do." He shuffles the cards behind his back then over his head. Then they disappear into his sleeves. "However, I'd prefer to make a game out of it!" Luxord points his hand at Ike and all of the cards fly at him. Ike raises his sword to block but the cards fly off in random directions around him instead of hitting him. He looks forward to find the Luxord is missing. Ike looks around slowly for his opponent but sees nothing but cards. Suddenly all of the cards pop up with their backs towards Ike and start spinning around him. "Now come on and let our game commence." Luxord's voice taunts from the spinning cards.

Sora burst into a room with large windows and a view of a large off white heart in the sky. He walks over to the windows and looks outside. He glares at the heart in the sky and opens his mouth to say something but stops when he realizes that his companions are not at his side. He had been travelling with Donald and Goofy so long that he hadn't even thought about what being without them would be like. He couldn't help but wonder if they were ok with King Mickey.

"Enjoying the view?" Sora turns around to see a man in a black cloak with blue hair, spiked up on the top and flowing down to his shoulder on the sides. He has an x-shaped scar in the middle of his face slightly above his nose. He is carrying a blue and silver sword with a circular end with seven pointed spikes on it. "You must be Sora; it is an honor to meet you." Sora prepares himself for battle. "Oh? No pleasantries?" Sora glares at him. "In that case, I guess it is up to me, Saïx, to teach you some manners." Saïx raises his blade and rushes at Sora, who is charging at him.

They lock blades in the middle of the floor. Sparks fly as Sora's two Keyblades smash against Saïx's sword. Sora strikes with such force that it forces Saïx backwards. Sora raises his hands and causes a bunch of lightning bolts to crash around Saïx. He dodges the lightning and charges for Sora. As he approaches striking range, Sora spreads his arms, causing a ring of fire to appear and protect him from Saïx attack. The two fighters stand about twenty feet from each other, their eyes locked. They charge at each other once more and heir weapons smash head on.

Meanwhile, a young man watches all of the events on a series of large black orbs that are placed in a huge shrine. The young man has long black hair and is wearing a traditional Japanese hakama pants. He has two daggers that are sheathed in the two leather straps that are crossed on his chest. He looks on at the events with curiosity. He walks over to a door on the other side of the room and opens it. Inside is an even larger orb. This orb shows a mysterious shadowy figure flying through the realms. It doesn't seem like anyone can see him and the young man seems relieved at this.

"At least Sephiroth hasn't caused enough chaos to release him but if this continues then there is no telling what will happen." The young man turns away from the orb and heads out of the room. He starts to head out of the temple and walks down the stairs. "As much as I'd love to continue to watch from the sidelines, I have no choice but to get involved." The young man smiles as he walks towards a strange podium. He places his hands on them and closes his eyes. When he opens them, there is a glowing red portal in front of the podium. He slowly walks through it and enters another realm.


	6. Chapter 6: Battles of Hired Hands

I do not own Kingdom Hearts 1 or 2, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, Final Fantasy VII, or any of the characters from them. However I do own the nameless character that appears randomly throughout the story.

Cloud hides behind the Buster Sword as the bullets from Xigbar's gun bounce off of it. Ever since he first started shooting, the bullets haven't stopped coming. He hasn't even taken a break to reload. Cloud sat on the ground, his body pressed close against his weapon. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his materia. He looked for one that would be useful in this situation. He quickly scanned them over and found two that would be perfect. He pressed them into the Buster Sword and it began to glow a greenish white. Cloud lifted the sword and held it out in front of him. Xigbar's bullets didn't stop coming but they didn't reach Cloud because of his choice of materia. He had managed to find his barrier materia and the holy materia, the materia that helped defeat Sephiroth.

Cloud dashes at Xigbar then swings his mighty sword at him. Xigbar dodges and kicks Cloud in the chest. Cloud grabs Xigbar's leg and hurls him into the air. Cloud leaps up to follow him and slashes Xigbar's left hand off. Xigbar points his other gun at Cloud and fires. This bullet is different than the others. The bullet tears through Cloud's barrier and rips some skin off of his left shoulder. Both men land on the ground, clutching their injuries. Xigbar is first to move as he summons a group of light purple Nobodies each carrying its own crossbow. They surround Cloud and aim at his vital organs.

"Sorry but I can't afford to lose, even if it means fighting dirty." Xigbar smirks.

Cloud raises the Buster Sword above his head just as the Nobodies fire at him. The barrier materia protects him from the arrows and he dashes at Xigbar. The Nobodies step in his way but he cuts them down with little difficulty. He reaches the spot where Xigbar once stood only to find that Xigbar has moved to a balcony above him. Xigbar starts to fire a hail storm of bullets down on Cloud. Cloud raises his blade to shield himself from the bullets, bouncing some of the bullets back in his direction. Cloud starts moving back, trying to adjust the angle of his sword. As he does the bullets start bouncing closer to Xigbar's location. Soon Cloud reaches the perfect angle to hit Xigbar in the chest with his own bullets. Xigbar drops his gun and falls over the balcony and down into the pit.

Cloud takes a deep breath and starts walking towards the exit of the area. As he does, a portal opens in the spot where he stood when Xigbar first showed up. The young man with the daggers walks through it and watches Cloud leave. He looks around and examines the area. He notices the blood that is on the floor and looks it over.

"Well at least they can handle themselves. All I have to do is make sure that nothing too chaotic happens." He starts walking in the same direction as Cloud, being careful not to get too close to arose Cloud's attention.

While Cloud was trying to find his way back to the higher level, Ike was struggling to deal with Luxord. Luxord had turned himself into a card and had hidden among the other giant cards that were spread across the ground. To make things even worse, all of the cards were moving around. Some of them were even attacking Ike. Their edges were razor sharp and they were fast moving. Ike was barely managing to dodge the cards but his clothing was getting cut. Ike started swinging Ragnell in every direction, slicing cards in half until there were only three cards left. Ike walked up to a card and slammed the sword into it. As he did, Luxord popped up out of one of the other cards and threw a dice at him. The dice hit Ike and he started to glow a bright white. Once the light faded, Ike was horrified to find that he had been turned into a dice.

Luxord started to laugh but was stopped when dice form Ike tackled him right in his gut. Ike continued to assault Luxord until he started to glow white once again. When the glow vanished, Ike was human again. Luxord glared at Ike who glared back. Luxord threw a card at Ike but Ike slashed it to bits. He charged at Luxord and started swinging Ragnell in an attempt to end this fight before Luxord got a chance to transform into something else. Luxord dodges all of Ike's attacks and jumps back away from Ike. He throws a dice at Ike again. Ike blocks the dice with his sword and sends the dice flying back towards Luxord. Luxord gasps as the dice flies back and hits him in the chest. On contact he starts to glow white and transforms into a dice. Ike waste no time in running at the now transformed Luxord and slashes him in half. The two halves vanish in a bright white light just as Cloud shows up.

"So you had a fight too?" Cloud walks to Ike's side.

Ike's breathing is heavy. "Yes, I did and that guy was a serious pain."

"And it can only get worse from here. We have to go and see if we can help Sora." Cloud starts walking towards the exit with Ike by his side.

The young man from the temple enters the room as the two heroes leave. He looks in their direction very impressed with their performance. He walks around the area where Ike battled Luxord. He picks up one of Luxord's playing cards and looks it over briefly before throwing it aside. He hears a low rustling sound and turns around to find Sephiroth behind him.

"You have a strange energy." Sephiroth starts walking towards the young man. "I'm interested to see what kind o power you possess." Sephiroth reaches his side. "But for some reason you don't seem all that interested in fighting me." He starts to walk pass him. "May I ask why exactly that is?"

"My reason for appearing in this place isn't to defeat you." The man turns his head towards Sephiroth.

"So are you saying that you actually think you have the power to defeat me?"

"I don't think it, Sephiroth; I know it for a fact."

"So you even know my name." Sephiroth smiles as he walks away. "Well I hope that you will change your mind one day. I would love for you to prove yourself to me. . ." Sephiroth disappears. The young man turns around and sighs then starts walking after Cloud and Ike. As he does, he tries to weigh the possible outcomes of his arrival in this realm. While his presence would help stop a great evil, if he was to get involved with the battle that Sephiroth set into motion, the results could be horrific.


	7. Chapter 7: Three man team reunited

I do not own Kingdom Hearts 1 or 2, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, Final Fantasy VII, or any of the characters from them. However I do own the nameless character that appears randomly throughout the story.

Sora and Saïx clash blades continually. The two fighter send sparks flying all around the room. They strike with all their might, each warrior not giving an inch. Sweat drips down their faces and creates puddles on the ground. Both of them are starting to tire, their legs and arms start to fell heavy. Even this does not douse the flames of their fighting.

"Well isn't this interesting." Saïx leaps far from Sora. "I wasn't expecting such a ferocious fight from you Sora. I am very impressed." Sora flies at Saïx and cast Firaga. A large ring of fire surrounds him as he tackles Saïx, sending him flying into a wall with flames covering his body.

Sora lands on the ground and starts to breathe deeply. He can barely manage to keep on his feet. It feels like he has been fighting for days. His left leg starts to give out but he quickly notices and starts levitating. He looks towards the hole that Saïx is in, waiting for his opponent to come out. However, there is no movement. There isn't even the slightest sign that Saïx is still alive. Sora starts to float over the hole. As he does, a red glow appears in the hole and then Saïx flies out in a blind rage. He starts swing rapidly at Sora. Sora manages to dodge the attacks but only barely. Saïx swings straight down at Sora, giving him no choice but to block. When he does, he is forced into the floor by the sheer power of the strike. Saix doesn't stop his assault. He starts to crush Sora deeper into the ground. Sora, barely conscious, has no way to defend himself. Saïx doesn't stop until he has pounded Sora ten feet into the floor. The young chosen hero lays half dead in the ground as his enemy leaps out of the hole.

"Well, I was impressed." He taunts as he turns and laughs. He doesn't laugh for long as Ike strikes him in his ribs with Ragnell and sends him flying all the way across the room. Cloud leaps down into the hole and puts Sora on his shoulders. He leaps out of the hole and lays Sora on the ground. He starts to try to wake Sora as Saïx gets back to his feet.

Ike gets ready to face off with Saïx as Cloud continues to try to wake his unconscious ally. Saïx charges at Ike, once again in a blind rage. Ike charges at Saïx and stops his charge. Ike over powers Saïx and then sends him flying into the air. Ike throws Ragnell up so that it hits Saïx, then he leaps up into the air and slashes him a few time. After Ike finishes his last air strike he swings straight down, bringing both Ragnell and Saïx crashing into the ground. Ike retreats back towards Cloud and Sora. Ike turns to Cloud and gives him an inquisitive look. Cloud signals that Sora has not yet awakened as he stands up and starts walking towards Ike side.

Both young heroes raise their weapons as Saïx stands up and starts to glow a furiously bright red. Cloud and Ike brace themselves for combat. Saïx dashes at them and swings straight at Ike's head. Cloud blocks the attack as Ike counters and sends Saïx flying. Cloud rushes at Saïx and starts attacking. Saïx blocks the attacks and counters with some powerful strikes of his own.  
He starts to force Cloud back as Ike heads their way. Cloud leaps backwards and spins around, tagging Ike into the fight. Ike charges at Saïx and gives him no other option but to go on the defensive. Ike swings straight up with one powerful strike, knocking Saïx back. Cloud leaps on Ike's shoulders and dives at Saïx. He corkscrews straight into Saïx's chest and drills him into the ground. Cloud leaps into the air and Saïx follows.

The two clash in midair as Ike runs towards a wall. He runs up the wall and leaps off towards Saïx. Cloud drops to the ground as Ike slashes Saïx in the back. The blue haired enemy lets out a loud yell of pain then quickly spins around tries to take a swing at Ike. Ike is too fast and blocks Saïx attacks. Ike knocks Saïx blade out of his hands and towards Sora. Saïx grabs Ike by the throat and starts choking him as the two of them start dropping to the ground. Cloud rushes at Saïx and raises his sword to attack. Saïx glances towards Cloud as Cloud attacks him. Saïx grabs Cloud's sword and hurls him into the wall. Saïx tightens his grip on Ike. He glances up when he hears a strange sound, like something is spinning. He turns towards Sora to find the Keyblade warrior spinning around with the sword the Ike knocked away in his hands. As he spins, Sora begins to glow red. A look of shock comes across Saïx's face. Sora growls then releases the sword. It flies straight for Saïx. Ike breaks away from his grip just as the sword collides with Saïx's body. The sword and Saïx go flying through a wall. Sora starts walking to the center of the room.

"Well, it seems that your men weren't as powerful as you thought Xemnas." Cloud stands up at the sound of Sephiroth's voice. Cloud furiously looks around for Sephiroth but finds nothing.

"So it would seem. At least we are close enough to our goal to the point where it doesn't matter what they do." Ike glares around the room and raises Ragnell.

"Yes, soon this world will be turned to nothing and we will rule this realm and the others." Xemnas' voice makes Sora's ears perk up.

Sora charges for a set of stairs with Cloud and Ike following close behind him. The group of heroes quickly make their way up the long seemingly endless stair case. As they do, a plethora of Nobodies appear and attack. The group is soon hugely outnumbered and overwhelmed. Just as they are about to be engulfed by the Nobodies, a small being in a black cloak and hood with a golden Keyblade cuts down some of them and leaps to Sora's side. Immediately after him, a shield and some lightning bolts take out some of the Nobodies that are blocking the way up.

"Goofy! Donald! King Mickey!" Sora shouts as his two companions join their king.

Mickey takes off his hood to reveal himself. "Get going Sora."

"Yeah, we'll watch your back." Donald quacks.

"Cuz that's what friends do." Goofy says.

Sora nods and heads up the stairs along with Ike and Cloud. They don't encounter any more Nobodies on their way to the top. When they arrive, they find all three villains standing in front of a huge heart shaped portal. All three villains seem ready to fight and the heroes are as well. However Cloud steps forward, something had been bugging him this entire time.

"Sephiroth!" The white haired Ex-Soldier steps forward. "Why are you doing this? "What do you want?"

"My goal has not changed. I still want to sail the universe3 with the planet as my vessel but my mother wishes for me to take these other realms by force. That is what she wishes."

"Does that mean . . . you've spoken to her?" Cloud asks as Sora takes a step forwards.

"I want let you do this Xemnas!" Sora starts levitating.

"You don't have much choice. I will succeed and become something. I will not remain a Nobody." Xemnas raises his hand towards the sky.

"No words need to be said between us." The Black Knight points Alondite at Ike. "However I cannot allow you to stop me." Ike readies Ragnell for battle.

As the two groups get ready to do battle, the mysterious young man walks out from behind the heroes. He walks straight past them and towards the villains. He walks around the villains and towards the heart shaped portal. He examines it carefully as both sides watch him. He doesn't pay them any attention at first part after a while he notices that something is amiss. He quickly touches the portal, sending a bright silver pulse through it.

"Cloud, you and your friends only need to hold off these guys for fifteen minutes." He turns towards everyone. The heroes turn their attention back to the villains but the villains never take their eyes off of the mysterious young man.


	8. Chapter 8: All roads led to the Axis

I do not own Kingdom Hearts 1 or 2, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, Final Fantasy VII, Dragon Ball GT, X-Men or any of the characters from them. However I do own Yumachi.

Sephiroth is the first to attack the nameless man. Cloud dashes at Sephiroth and blocks his attack. Cloud forces Sephiroth back towards the other villains. Ike and Sora rush at the others and start attacking. The Black Knight and Xemnas stop the attacks and send the heroes flying away. Cloud stands between the three villains and the mysterious young man who seems to be trying to close the portal, his eyes and hands glowing silver. Xemnas charges at Cloud. Cloud slashes at Xemnas who dodges quickly. Xemnas gets in close to Cloud and punches him in the gut. The Black Knight swings Alondite, releasing a wave of energy as Xemnas dives out of the way. Cloud tries to block the strike and is knocked backwards. Sephiroth appears above Cloud and swings straight down. Cloud blocks Sephiroth's strike but it smashed into the ground.

Ike charges to help out Cloud but is stopped by the Black Knight and Xemnas. Sora cast thunder and causes a large mass of lightning bolts to crash around Xemnas, separating him from the Black Knight. Ike charges again and engages his black armored enemy in close combat. The two warriors lock blades repeatedly with all their might. The two legendary weapons glow brighter and brighter with each collision. Soon they are glowing as bright as the sun. The blades collide again and the energy that was building up in them releases and sends to two men flying away from each other.

Xemnas and Sora glide around the room, doing battle in the air. Sora controls the hovering Keyblades and throws in some punches and kicks in between the strikes. Xemnas tries to block, barely managing to keep up with Sora's attacks. Sora quickly cast Firaga. A large ring of fire surrounds him and continuously strikes Xemnas in the chest. Xemnas flips away from Sora and summons a hoard of Nobodies to his side. The Nobodies pounce on Sora and pin him down. Suddenly a large burst of wind blows the Nobodies into the air and forms an aura around Sora. He finishes off the Nobodies with a large bolt of lightning.

The young man continues to try to close the portal as the three warriors continue their battles with their enemies. He glances to see how things are going then turns his attention back to the portal. He looks deeper into the portal and notices something moving inside of the portal.

"It can't be possible." The young man whispers to himself. The moving object stops and starts to take form it appears to be a human about his height but other than that, there is nothing else that can be seen. He starts working harder to close the portal but as he does, Sephiroth knocks Cloud backwards and into him. Sephiroth dashes over to Ike and knocks him out. The Black Knight turns to Sora and Xemnas in the air sky and swings Alondite, releasing another wave of energy that hits Sora and allows Xemnas to get away. All three men head for the portal but Cloud jumps up and stands in their way. Xemnas charges at Cloud and knocks him out of the way then goes through the portal followed by the Black Knight and Sephiroth.

Cloud and the others stand up and get ready to walk through the portal but they are stopped by the mysterious young man. He looks at them with an expression that words could not possibly describe. The heroes took a step back and felt compelled to drop their weapons.

"I must warn you, the place where they have gone is not a place where most humans could thread easily." He starts off. "It is a place that exist between realms, under normal circumstances it wouldn't be accessible. However, thanks to Sephiroth the balance has been disturbed and the passage has been revealed. If they are not stopped, all of your worlds and others are doomed."

"You seem to have a lot of power." Sora points out. "Why not help us?"

"I am bound by the duty that was given to me. I am ban from involving myself in battles until it is time of my destiny to be fulfilled." He turns to the portal. "The three of you must do this alone."

Cloud, Ike and Sora start walking into the portal but Cloud stops. "Well can you tell us what your name is?"

"My name? My name is Yumachi. Now go, you have to hurry." The young man answers. Cloud nods as Ike and Sora go through the portal. Cloud keeps eye contact with Yumachi for a while then walks through the portal.

Cloud cautiously emerges on the other side of the portal and thoroughly scans the area. The ground is dark red as well as the sky. All around him there are portals, all leading to different realms. All three young heroes slowly walk around looking into the portals. Cloud slowly peers into one of the portals and sees a group of strangely dressed men and women facing off against a giant being that appears to be a mix between man and machine. He is about twenty feet tall and has a letter A on his waist. Cloud pulls his head put of the portal as a short man dressed in yellow and blue, with metal claws leaps at the giant. Ike and Sora look into a portal right across from Cloud. Inside the portal is a giant blonde haired monkey fighting a man with pink fur covering his upper body and a pink tail coming for his tail bone. The monkey turns and shoots a giant collum of fire from its mouth in the direction of Ike and Sora. Both heroes quickly retreat away from the portal just in time to avoid the flames.

"Welcome to the Axis." All three young men turn around to find Yumachi standing behind them. You will find an endless number of portals leading into other realms, each unique in its own way and separate from each other." He starts walking and a path lights up for him. "However, I believe that Sephiroth will unknowingly disturb this balance and unite all of the realms. That would have some very horrible results." He walks past the heroes and towards a pillar of light. "You must stop them. I beseech you." He turns and scans over the three heroes.

"You don't have to ask me twice." Sora starts flying around. "There is no way that I'm going to let Xemnas get what he wants."

Ike raises Ragnell into the air and looks at it. "I will not let the Black Knight escape unpunished."

Cloud's eyes gaze into a portal inside the pillar of light. He sees all three villains looking around, they appear frantic. His blood starts to boil and his mind fills with thoughts of past events. He looks down at his Buster Sword. "Sephiroth will not escape me. He will finally be put to rest."

Yumachi turns away from them and points towards the pillar of light. "I have created a realm strictly for your battle with them. They are trapped there now, waiting for you. I hope that you are as powerful as I have come to believe." Yumachi walks towards the pillar. "Come, time is short." All three fighters walk towards the portal and stand in front of it. Just before they enter, Cloud turns to Yumachi. "What is it?"

"If we ever meet again, I would like to face you in battle." Cloud says with a look of longing. "There is something about you that. . ."

"I understand." Yumachi smiles. "Hm, we will meet again and I will give you the battle you desire."

Cloud nods and walks through the portal. Ike and Sora follow him. All three heroes are set for final battle with their respective enemies.


End file.
